DESIGNER'S NOTES 

IMPERIALISM 1870

by Phenix Benton


During the latter half of the 19th century, the European and other imperial powers acquired the industrial and technological might to stretch out their collective hand and partition the world between them. As noted by historians of the period, this wasn't so much due to the weapons technology by itself, but by the manufacturing processes that emerged and to other  significant developments. During the centuries prior to 1850, the tropical regions had been rightly termed the "white man's grave" because of the lethality of endemic tropical diseases. Expansion into the tropical regions by Europeans had been severely limited because of this. Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" sums up the popular view of the time quite well. One of the basic techs in this scenario is Medicine, and its impact was vital. It opened up the entire world to penetration by Imperial powers. And, while we can rightly cite the potentcy of weapons like the Maxim gun, breech-loading cannons, and steam-powered, armored warships, what should not be forgotten is the role of trade. Many times, indigenous economies were ruined by the intrusion of foreign goods and the domination of local markets by commercial interests of the imperial powers. Impoverishment was one of the unseen weapons of the imperialists, but was every bit as effective as the bullets and artillery shells hurled at native peoples around the globe. The general pace of western technology was staggering, if seen in retrospect. As I've pointed out before, in 1865, an ironclad warship was a stunning new innovation. By 1895, the powers were all producing pre-dreadnought battleships. This period saw an extremely fast-paced technology race, and the civ2 game works well within this context. As the technology of war moved forward, so did the ideology of human relations. New theories were popularized and became widespread throughout the western world. Social Darwinism, an over-extension of Darwin's speculations about the rise of new speicies, was seen as an explanation for the dominance of the Europeans over the rest of the world. Rampant industrialism and the horrors it produced in the major cities of the world spawned socialism, the desire for land reform, and widespread social unrest. Alfred Thayer Mahan, an American military academic, wrote "The Influence of Seapower on History." His work proved influential, especially among naval adherents, and  Navalism was born. Mahan preached that, for a nation to become a world power, it must have control of the seas. At this very same time in history, the rationalization of agriculture and intensive use of fertilizers made Malthusian notions of overpopulation obsolete and a tremendous population boom occurred in the developed nations. Mass warfare would now have the necessary "mass" of bodies to accomodate it. These new theories, made possible by industrial potential and supported by nationalist fervor, spurred the powers to heights of 19th century brinksmanship, the first arms races, and annual international crises. At precisely the time when this was occurring, a popularization of western culture subtly usurped the seat of control away from the monarchs and generals, and placed it in the hands of "the people" or "the nation" or "the race." The entire process of Imperialism set the European powers on the road to war. And it was to be a war like no other in history. The civ2 game is uniquely suited to reconstruct this historical drama, and I have endeavored to do just that. My hope is that all who play this scenario will enjoy it, and maybe even learn a little something as well.

I. TECHNOLOGY

I've used many of the same tricks that have appeared in my scenarios prior to this one, but I'll go over them for those who may be coming upon one of mine for the first time. [For clarity, when I refer to a technology, unit, improvement, or wonder, I will capitalize it. When I refer to the default name of the same, I will capitalize it and place it in parentheses.] In general, the civs in the game begin at roughly equal levels of development, with two exceptions. The "barbarians," renamed "Oriental" units and cities will start with no techs, and, even though the game will indicate from time to time that the Orientals gain techs, they do not. The 2nd exception is the Latin American/Italian/Spanish civ. This civ does have quite a few cities, but is substantially behind all the others in terms of technology. The primary difference that will become immediately apparent is the trade technology; the Independents will produce the Raw Materials (caravan) unit, whereas all the rest will produce the Manufactured Goods (Freight) unit. This will not change throughout the game. Each of the colonial civs is, however, slightly differentiated from the others. France  will receive the Republic tech just after the start of the scenario and the United States starts with the tech and is in a Republic government at start. The Germans and British each have a few techs that the other doesn't. The Russians are slightly behind the other Europeans, as they don't have Conscription quite yet--general conscription laws weren't instituted until 1874. Land Reform is (Mysticism), and has the effect of reducing civil unrest once acquired. Oil Industry is (Automobiles), and Public Utilities is (Electronics). Once these two are acquired, the city graphic will change from the "early" industrial to the "late" industrial graphic and the People gif will also change slightly. (Alphabet), (Writing), and (Literacy) have been renamed Basic Literacy, Literacy, and Cultural Literacy and so do reflect the general progress of learning in any given civ. Legalism is (Code of Laws), and the Magistrate (Courthouse) improvement is assigned to it. Philosophy is NOT (Philosophy) and Construction is NOT (Construction). (Philosophy) is Existentialism, no civ in the game has it at start, and the first to reach it will gain the free tech bonus upon doing so. (Construction) is the Fortification Design tech, and will allow a civ's settler units to construct fortresses. Construction is (Bridge Building), and is the basic "building" technology of all empires. Radio Telegraphy is NOT (Radio). (Radio) is Airparks, and will allow settler units to construct Airparks. Industrialization, Banking, and Railroad are NOT (Industrialization), (Banking), and (Railroad). (Railroad) is not in the scenario. Banking is actually (Currency), and the (Industrialization) tech has been given to all the imperial civs (not the Independents) to force the city graphic to appear correctly. Nationalism is the (Mobile Warfare) tech, and will obsolete all Barracks improvements when acquired. Conscription is NOT (Conscription). Conscription is (Gunpowder), and will also obsolete all barracks when gained. Steam Turbines is (Nuclear Power) and will give a 1 space bonus to all ship movement. Fertilizers is (Refrigeration), and allows the Intensive Agriculture (Supermarket) improvement to be built. The Romanticism tech is the (Theology) tech and will consequently help all Stadiums (Cathedrals) to reduce civil unrest. Militarism is the (Space Flight) tech and will sour diplomatic relations with other civs. Steel Alloys is the (Nuclear Fission) tech. Once this is acquired, cities will begin to demand the very rare trade item Molybdenum. The 20th Century is (Future Tech). 

II. UNITS

There is quite a bit of advance during the course of the scenario from the units available at 
start to the units that can be built later. All civs start with a "Troops" type of infantry unit.
Some will also have a cavalry unit. The Russians, Americans and French, and the British have a cavalry unit. The Independents, Germans, and Japanese do not have cavalry units. The cavalry units are intended to represent the "flying columns" used in colonial warfare to outmaneuvre and/or outdistance colonial foes. There are also Tank units that will appear much later in the scenario and these units only have a 1 movement value. Native Uprising, Native Horse, and War Party units, all only available to the Orientals, will all move more than 1 space/turn, the latter two moving at 3 spaces/turn. The Guards unit is the (Fanatic) unit, and will only be available to civs in the Autocracy (Fundamentalism) government. The Irregular unit is the (Partisans) unit. The Colonialism tech is needed to begin building both the British Sepoy unit and the Colonial Troops unit for the French. Only the British can build the Highlander unit, which becomes available w/the Tactics tech. The Marines unit is indentical to the default (Marines) unit, but it is weaker on the attack. There are several types of artillery in the game, each type slightly better than previous types, culminating w/the Heavy Artillery, which, besides having a very high attack value, negates city walls and is therefore a very potent weapon. The air units are relatively simple. The Biplane is the first to appear, followed by the Early Bomber, with the Monoplane being the final type. Additionally, there is the Airship unit, whose main difference is its range. The Airship can stay aloft for much longer than the other aerial unit types. As usual w/my scenarios, some thought has gone into the naval units. The imperial powers all begin the game w/the ships that are available w/the Steam-powered Ships and Ironclads techs. Subsequent naval techs allow the construction of increasingly more powerful and faster ship types. The Destroyers unit is intended to represent not only the traditional destroyer flotilla, but also the sundry torpedo boat fleets fielded by various nations during this period, and these units only become available w/the Naval Torpedos tech. This tech is on the way to the Submarine tech which, of course, allows the building of Submarine units. There are also several sea transport units, each successive type more durable and slightly faster than previous ones, culminating w/the Ocean Liner, the fastest and most spacious type. The (Caravan) and (Freight) units have been renamed Raw Materials and Manufactured Goods respectively. They are less expensive to produce than the default units, and the Manufactured Goods unit only moves 1. Generally, all the units available to the player civs are slightly more expensive (and in some cases, MUCH more expensive) then the default types which are similar. There is also the Agent, the default (Spy). The Agent has many more powers than a simple (Spy), yet functions similarly. The Agent moves 4, can see 2 squares, can make amphibious landings (it has an attack of 1), is not impeded by zones of control, and is doubled on defense against air and horse units. This unit is intended to represent various personalities of the period, from T. E. Lawrence to Mata Hari to "Chinese" Gordon.
 
III. GOVERNMENTS

Monarchy, Republic, and Democracy are all identical to the default government techs, remaining unchanged. The Americans begin the scenario with the Republic tech and are in a Republic. The French are researching Republic as the scenario begins and should get it around turn 6 or 7. France did not initiate the period of the 3rd Republic until after the Franco-Prussian war, which would start on Turn 5 or 6 of the scenario. The (Fundamentalism) tech has been renamed Autocracy, and its power has been sharply reduced. Autocratic governments CAN still build Guard (Fanatic) units, which require no upkeep, but the number of other units that may remain unsupported has been cut in half from the default number, to 4, only slightly better than either Monarchy or Imperialism. Autocracy also has a better science rate and maximum science rate than (Fundamentalism). The (Communism) tech has been renamed Imperialism and the Agent unit in the (Spy) slot will benefit from it. Corruption is eliminated, and this can be a real blessing to a colonial power like the British, whose decentralized empire spans the globe. Additionally, the Imperialism government does not drastically reduce the tech acquisition and martial law becomes twice as effective. The Monarchy tech is very similar to the Imperialism tech in most respects, and is intended to represent the creation of an efficient colonial administrative structure along with the popular support that colonial expansion acquired during the period. The fact that there is no government switching will necessitate some careful planning prior to acquiring the government techs, because the only time that an empire can voluntarily switch governments is when a government tech is gained. And, once switched, it cannot be changed again until another government tech is acquired.

IV. WONDERS

Here is a list describing the Wonders in the scenario. "Start" indicates that the wonder is 
placed at the start of the scenario and where it is. Only a few of these go obsolete during the game. Consult the pedia to see which ones do and when. The few wonders that can be built during the game have different production costs, usually, but not always higher than their default equivalents.

Kremlin   .    .    .    .    .   .  Shakespeare .    .    .    .    .  Moscow, Start
Britannia Rule the Waves  .   Lighthouse  .    .    .    .    .   London, Start
Ukraine   .    .    .    .    .       Pyramids    .    .    .    .    .   Kiev, Start
Suez Canal.    .    .    .    .     Colussus    .    .    .    .    .   Alexandria, Start
Prussian Militarism .    .    .   Sun Tzu     .    .    .    .    .    Berlin, Start
Workshop of the World    .    Rich's Crusade   .    .    .    .  London, Start
German Empire  .    .    .    .  Oracle      .    .    .    .    .     Berlin, Start
Diplomatic Corps    .    .    .   Marco Polo  .    .    .    .    .  Can be built -
Free Enterprise     .    .    .    Michaelangelo    .    .    .    . Washington, Start
Ecole Polytechnique .    .    .  Copernicus  .    .    .    .    .  Paris, Start
Ruhr Chemical Industry   .    .Issac Newton's   .    .    .    . Frankfurt, Start
British Empire .    .    .    .    Adam Smith  .    .    .    .    .  London, Start
Arms Race.     .    .    .    .    Darwin's    .    .    .    .    .     Can be built +
Women's Suffrage    .    .    . Women's Suffrage .    .    .    Can be built +
Imperial Powers.    .    .    .  United Nations   .    .    .    .  Can be built +
Meiji Restoration   .    .    .   SETI        .    .    .    .    .      Tokyo, Start
Third Republic .    .    .    .    Eiffel Tower.    .    .    .    .    Paris, Start
Edwardian Age  .    .    .    .  Hanging Gardens  .    .    .     Paris, Start
Edwardian Age  .    .    .    .  J. S. Bach's.    .    .    .    .     Berlin, Start
Edwardian Age  .    .    .    .  Cure for Cancer  .    .    .    .  London, Start

V. IMPROVEMENTS

Most everything has been renamed. Here is a list. The 1st column is the new name for the 
improvement, the 2nd column is the default name for the improvement, and the 3rd column is the prerequisite tech to build the improvement. A "+" sign at the end of the 3rd column indicates that the improvement is now more expensive to build or to maintain or both. A "-" sign indicates that the improvement is now cheaper to build or maintain or both. In many cases, the construction cost of these improvements are considerably higher than the default costs, but the maintenance costs are cheaper. Consult the pedia for details. Some few improvements (Factory,Steel Mill, and Commercial Exchange) are VERY much more expensive than the default price and the reason that I increased these so sharply was to discourage building them, or to at least discourage routine construction of these improvements. Building these improvements will either take a LOT of time, or will require a LARGE expenditure of money to rush-build.

Capital .  .  .  .  .  .  .   Palace    .  .  .  .  . Construction
Training Camp .  .  .  .  Barracks  .  .  .  .  . Conscription, +
Warehouse District  .  .Granary   .  .  .  .  . Construction +
Garrison   .  .  .  .  .  .  Temple    .  .  .  .  . The Nation State
Bank    .  .  .  .  .  .  .   Marketplace  .  .  .  . Banking 
School  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   Library   .  .  .  .  . Basic Literacy
Magistrate .  .  .  .  .  . Courthouse.  .  .  .  . Legalism
Fortifications.  .  .  .  .  City Walls.  .  .  .  . Fortification Design + 
Water Supply  .  .  .  .  Aquaduct  .  .  .  .  . Construction, -
Light Industries .  .  .   Bank      .  .  .  .  . Regional Trade, +
Stadium .  .  .  .  .  .  .  Cathedral .  .  .  .  . Popular Culture +
University .  .  .  .  .  .  University.  .  .  .  . University
Theatre/Ballet.  .  .  .  .Colusseum .  .  .  .  . Construction, -
Factory .  .  .  .  .  .  .   Factory   .  .  .  .  . Industrialization, +
Industrial Complex  .  . Manufacturing Plant.  . Military Industrial Complex, +
Steel Mill .  .  .  .  .  .   Power Plant  .  .  .  . Steel, +
Commercial Exchange . Stock Exchange  .  .  . Economics, +
Sewer System  .  .  .  .  Sewer System .  .  .  . Sanitation, -
Intensive Agriculture  . Supermarket  .  .  .  . Fertilizers, +
Railway Station  .  .  .  Superhighways.  .  .  . Railroad, +
Coastal Fortifications . Coastal Fortress.  .  . Rifled Artillery, +
Harbor  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  Harbor    .  .  .  .  . Construction +
World Port .  .  .  .  .  . Offshore Platform  .  . International Trade, +
Airpark    .  .  .  .  .  .   Airport   .  .  .  .  . Airparks, +
Secret Police Station  . Police Station  .  .  . Socialism, -
Coaling Station  .  .  .  Port Facility.  .  .  . Naval Bases, +
Oil Field  .  .  .  .  .  .   Hydro Plant  .  .  .  . Oil Industry, + (*)
(Capitalization) .  .  .  .(Capitalization).  .  . State Subsidies

(*; The Oil Field improvement can only be built where, historically, there are petroleum deposits to exploit. Kuwait, Baghdad, Mosul, Brunei, Galveston, New Orleans, El Paso, Pittsburgh, Baku, Tsaritsyn, Teheran, Caracas, and Bucharest.)

VI. STRATEGY

1. Great Britain

Britain starts with by far the largest empire on the map and its position is very strong, but not as strong as it first appears. Britain is in monarchy at start and, unless they can trade with France or the U.S. for Republic, the next nearest government tech is Imperialism, which is somewhat better, but still not the equal of Republic or Democracy. Many of the British "cities" are actually small islands with very little resources other than food and trade, and the rapid demographic growth of some of these small places might be more of a drain on the English economy than an asset as means are required to quiet restive populations. Additionally, being decentralized has its disadvantages as well. The widely-separated territories of the British Empire are susceptible to being picked off piecemeal by a well-prepared and determined foe. Oriental raiders of various sorts will attack frontier posts and forts should be established at strategic points. Being the largest also means being a target for an anti-British grand alliance. If you're #1, there is nowhere to go but down. Canada is valuable, and will become more so as the game continues, but is vulnerable to attack by the Americans. To forestall this, a smart British player will try all means to remain on good terms with the U.S. and this neatly mimics the historical reality. The German civ, although apparently small, is actually very powerful and therefore very dangerous. A mutual defense pact with France is certainly advisable, and a cordial relationship with Russia should be given serious consideration as well. Thus, the scenario propels one toward the historical "Triple Entente." Britain does have some real advantages though. Australia and New Zealand will develop, as the scenario progresses, into real powerhouses of trade and military might and should be guarded, especially from the Japanese. Even so, the remoteness of these territories will provide some protection. India is the real jewel of Empire for Great Britain, and will be a major source of power, wealth and production. The sub-continent is dense enough to withstand an attack and productive enough to generate its own defenses. Britain also has the lion's share of wonders, all conveniently located in London. There are; the Britannia Rule the Waves (Lighthouse), the British Empire (Adam Smith), the Workshop of the World (King Richard's Crusade), and one of the 3 Edwardian Age wonders, in this case the (Cure for Cancer).

2. France

France is in Monarchy at the start of the scenario. Additionally, France starts the game w/the 
Guerilla Warfare tech. The French Empire is not nearly as extensive as the British, but it is as
far-flung. There are Caribbean, Indo-Chinese, and African colonies, and New Caledonia in the 
South Pacific. After Great Britain, France is in the best position at the beginning of the 
scenario to expand and capture a good number of the Oriental cities. There is one major danger to the French, however; a Franco-Prussian War. Historically, the German Empire attacked France on or near turn 5, destroyed their armies in the field, seized Strasbourg, and went on to beat several Guerilla armies before extorting a large monetary reparation as a condition of victory, and Strasbourg remained German. The best defense against this maneuver is to seek allies. Russia is the natural choice, but Great Britain could also be a major asset, as the Scandinavian cities are very exposed to a potential British attack. The French capital has several wonders that impart a distinctive edge to this civ. The Ecole Polytechnique (Copernicus' Observatory) will substantially enhance France's technology acquistion. The Third Republic (Eiffel Tower) will tend to bring France something it needs very badly, (especially at the start of the scenario); allies. France also has one of the 3 Edwardian Age wonders. In this case, it's the (Hanging Gardens) and will help to preserve civil order in the country and colonies.

3. Russian Empire

The Russian Empire is the 2nd largest in the scenario and appears formidable. Looks can be 
deceiving, however. Although Russia has the Industrialization tech, it has very few established Factories. The fiscal situation is not good; Russia runs a deficit at the start of the scenario. It does, however have a healthy growth rate which could well alleviate the tax shortfall--given sufficient time. It also has a large standing army, but at the start, most of these troops are garrisoning the populous and potentially unruly cities. The Russian fleet is small and the Russian army has few artillery units. Given time, they can build into a great Empire, but will need to build, almost from scratch, production, financial, and educational infrastructures. This is a farily tall order, especially considering the lure that the central Asian cities affords. There are quite a few of these Oriental cities and expeditions should be sent to subdue and take as many as is feasible. While war with the Japanese isn't inevitable, it's probably very likely. Some care should be taken to defend Vladivostock and a trans-Siberian railway should be undertaken as soon as possible. The war that is slighly more likely will be the one with the Germans. The very capable German Empire will be a constant danger to the underdeveloped, over-populated, unrest-ridden Russian Empire. Once again, mutual defense pacts and alliance systems will help to disuade an aggressive German civ. The Russian civ also has the Ukraine (Pyramids) and Kremlin (Shakespeare's Theatre) wonders. The former propels Russian growth at a very healthy pace and the latter preserves civil order in Moscow come hell or high water. Because Russia is behind in tech at the start, it must trade aggressively. The problem lies in a potential German and/or British blockade. All efforts must be made to keep the Black sea route and the East Asian route available to divert trade units for transit. 

4. German Empire

Although seemingly small, the German Empire is the game's powerhouse. The Germans start with a large army, equipped with a good number of artillery units. The Germans also have strong production, financial, and educational infrastructures. There is a strong temptation to launch an historical Franco-Prussian War sometime during the first 12 turns. The payoff is worthwhile. The capture of Strasbourg will add another valuable city to the Empire and the monetary gain from the capture would help to offset the initial fiscal deficit run by the Germans at the start of the scenario. Unlike most of the other civs, the German civ's cities are at or near their population limit at the start, thus, expansion is not simply advisable, but imperative. The problem with a policy of initial naked aggression is that, no matter whether one turns the armies east or west, there is always the danger of a two-front war so feared by German strategists from Bismarck to Rundstedt. Additionally, the German civ has several strong positions outside of Europe. In the far east, there is the Dutch colonial Empire in the East Indies and the Boer cities in South Africa. The German Empire has several of the wonders. Located in Berlin is the German Empire (Oracle), Prussian Militarism (Sun Tzu), and another of the Edwardian Age wonders, (J.S.Bach's Cathedral). Also, located in Frankfurt is the Ruhr Chemical Industry (Issac Newton's College). 

5. Empire of Japan

The Japanese Empire has several distinct advantages that do much to offset its small size. Even though Japan is the smallest civ in the scenario, it has much to offer an aggressive player. In historical game terms, the Meiji Restoration only occurred just prior to the start of the scenario. The initial reforms were to the military, society, economy, transportation, and 
judicial systems. What remains is to industrialize--an expensive and/or time-consuming task. 
Trade will help immensely in providing the resources necessary to undertake the industrialization of Japan. The Japanese Empire has a rather small fleet and army, including a small merchant marine. Once Japan has been thoroughly industrialized, they will become a serious power in their part of the world. What will keep the Japanese Empire moving steadily through the tech tree is the Meiji Restoration wonder (SETI Project). This should allow an otherwise comparatively miniscule Japan to keep up with the larger empires in terms of science.

6. United States of America

Isolated by its global position, the American Republic has some advantages that the other civs don't. It is the only Empire that starts the scenario in Republic, and is consequently wealthier from the beginning. Unlike many of the other empires, the U.S. does not start the scenario with a deficit and will not need to run one until some significant new construction is undertaken. Although a Canadian conquest is tempting, America's natural enemies are the Latin territories and cites southward. Not simply because the Latin civ has less real power in terms of imperial domains that could produce a credible counter-invasion force, but also because the Latin civ is farther behind in terms of science, and therefore more vulnerable to attack. America has 1 important wonder; the Free Enterprise (Michaelangelo's Chapel) which effectively puts a free Stadium (Cathedral) in every American city with no maintenance costs, thereby keeping the city populations relatively quiet. I cannot advise strongly enough that the American player maximize the luxury settings right from the very start. This will neatly simulate the immigration boom that occurred during this period. The eastern seaboard cities will fill first, then the more western and southern ones. This policy will mean a consant deficit, but aggressive trading will more than offset the losses. 

7. Latin America/Italy/Iberia (Independent Nations) 

This civ is not really intended for play by human players, and it is advised that the AI be 
allowed to run it. It is, however, possible for a human to play it and could well be very 
challenging. This civ is not completely without power, but lacks the production (no idustrialization tech), the wealth (no Railroad tech), and the science (no University tech) 
to keep pace with the industrialized powers. The Independent Nations' units are also somewhat weaker than the Imperial powers. Additionally, this civ starts the scenario with a fiscal deficit and less money than any other civ. Although the AI would cheat to solve these problems, they will remain a sticky situation for the human player deciding to play them. Some lucky tech trading might well alleviate the situation, but wily Imperial players would be wise to refuse to trade the necessary techs. This civ will always produce only the Raw Materials trade unit, never the Manufactured Goods unit.

VII. TRADE

For those who have not yet noticed, this scenario is intended to rely very much upon TRADE. The period was one in which international trade figured very prominently. The central idea of Mahan's Navalism theories was the wealth generated by trade. If Adam Smith defined the characteristics of the "Wealth of Nations," Alfred Thayer Mahan delineated how that wealth must be transported, and, perhaps more importantly, protected and preyed upon. Although the British Empire wonder precludes an English deficit, the British are more likely to engage in profitable trade than any other empire. There are tangible payoffs other than the money to be earned upon delivery of goods to their destinations. Firstly, there are the additional free beakers with each trade unit delivered. Secondly, there is the side-effect of lessening of international tensions with trading partners. Trade with America is an extremely good idea. Not only will the transatlantic payoff be highly profitable, but, given sufficient numbers of trade routes established, it might also eventually make a powerful ally of the U. S. For the other European civs, the American shore has a strong allure. Trade with a civ on another continent will be very lucrative. For the American, this desirability is a real asset. With the European civs striving to establish the most lucrative trade routes, the U.S. will be able to reap the rewards of the best ones. The alone-on-a-continent effect also works for England and, to a slightly lesser extent, for Japan too. This is a good example of how well the civ2 engine can function to recreate an historical situation. Potentially, the 3 major international trading powers will be the U.S., Great Britain, and The Empire of Japan, just as it was historically. For all the powers, the Latin civ will be a valuable dumping ground for their trade goods. Many of the Latin cities are far away and relatively populous. Establishing trade routes with these cities will payoff. Historically, England and the U.S. were the principal participants in the South American trade and the game will tend to reflect this. For each of the empires that are running fiscal deficits, trade will be their saving grace. It will provide much-needed cash for purchasing new improvments and rush-building units. Most of all, and especially given the 10:1 tech ratio, the extra science beakers generated by trade will allow acquisition of technology at a much faster rate than would otherwise be possible.
